An attribute of modern flat-panel electronic displays that makes them highly desirable to consumers is the aesthetic appeal of a very flat device that has the appearance of a framed photo or painting when hung from a wall. This same attribute is also desirable in that floor and interior space taken up by the display is minimal.
The flat panel display is typically mounted on a structure, such as, for example, a wall. With current flat panel display technology, however, best viewing quality is typically achieved when the screen is viewed at as near as possible to a ninety degree angle from the plane of the screen. Liquid crystal displays will often appear perceptibly darker at the more oblique angles. In other cases, particularly with plasma displays, glare from the screen surface may impair viewing. Consequently, it is desirable to have the ability to selectively adjust the angle of the flat panel display relative to the mounting structure to achieve optimum viewing.
Numerous wall-mounting devices for flat panel displays have been developed so as to enable tilt and/or swing positioning of the display. Examples of such mounting devices are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,905,101, 7,028,961, and 7,152,836, all of which are owned by the owner of the present invention and are hereby fully incorporated herein by reference. Various positioning devices have been used, such as friction based hinges, mechanical linkages with springs or other biasing devices, and various mechanical latches. These friction-based devices should be sufficiently strong to hold a relatively heavy flat panel displays while being relatively easy to operate in order to achieve proper functionality and be user-friendly.
A drawback of traditional friction-based devices and mechanical latches is they often cannot be adjusted by a single operator to adjust the viewing angle of a mounted flat-panel display. In particular, a first person may be required to hold the flat panel display at the correct angle while a second person performs the adjustment of the mounting device. Movement in the upward direction often requires the operator to lift a substantial portion of the weight of the flat panel display. In some instances, the operator must also overcome the resistance of the positioning device.
In addition, the hinge and pivot joints used in existing devices typically enable positioning of the display about only one axis per joint. The degree of display position adjustability of such devices is limited by the number of joints that can be economically and practically provided.
What is needed in the industry is a low-cost, easy to operate, and relatively maintenance-free system for mounting and positioning a flat panel display that also provides for selective adjustability of the viewing angle once the flat-panel display has been mounted.